


Determination Unmatched

by The_Eclectic_Bookworm



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-24
Updated: 2017-01-24
Packaged: 2018-09-19 15:32:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9447689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Eclectic_Bookworm/pseuds/The_Eclectic_Bookworm
Summary: “Rupert—” she called, voice a mixture of panic and exasperation.He turned. There was a look in his eyes that told Jenny he’d do nearly anything she asked him to, but that this was something she couldn’t stop.(set during School Hard)





	

**Author's Note:**

> one of the first things i've written in months that's completely canon-compliant...feels a little strange

The thing about Rupert was that even in the darkest of moments (and she was talking both hopeless and literally dark, like right now, when they were standing in a nearly pitch-black library) he had this—sweetness in his eyes. It was a strange thing to see when Jenny had once thought that she hated him for how emotionless and detached he could be. Sometimes she had to check herself, and take a breath, because there was a feeling she had when he looked at her like that and it wasn’t something she entirely understood.

It was strange, too, that he was about to leave her alone and defenseless, and Jenny’s first instinct wasn’t to demand that he protect her, even though she was coming to terms with the fact that she wasn’t as capable as she thought she was when it came to hand-to-hand combat. She was scared, more so than she’d been in a very long time. It was frighteningly dark in the library and they had no way of knowing if any of the kids had survived. It would make sense for her to want some kind of companionship.

But for the first time, Jenny couldn’t remember that she was frightened, or that she’d be alone. All she could think was that someone she cared about more than she’d ever thought she _could_ was throwing himself into a dangerous situation when she wanted to hold him close and keep him safe.

“Rupert—” she called, voice a mixture of panic and exasperation.

He turned. There was a look in his eyes that told Jenny he’d do nearly anything she asked him to, but that this was something she couldn’t stop. She wanted to cross the room and kiss him, because this seemed like the moment for it, but that meant that whatever thing they had between them was more serious than she wanted to admit to herself.

She brought her hands close to her chest and hoped he knew. “Be careful,” she said. It felt jerky and unnatural, and not _enough._

Rupert’s face didn’t change. She wondered if he expected her to love him, realized that he was the kind of guy who had a simplistic, sweet view of love, and hated how that made her like him more. “Push these back as soon as I—” he began.

Buffy fell through the ceiling.

Or, actually, it wasn’t so much _falling_ as it was a sort of _speedy landing_ , but it was enough to startle Jenny. After a moment of _what the fuck just happened,_ she managed to compose herself enough to hand Buffy some stakes and stand around while Buffy and Rupert had a mini-briefing before Buffy swung back into the ceiling. It was good to know that Buffy was okay, but—there was some kind of lingering terror that she wasn’t so sure had anything to do with the vampires.

Rupert stepped towards her, placed his hand on her shoulder. “I should keep an eye on the window,” he said simply. “It’d be best if we both stayed here, I think.”

“Okay,” said Jenny, and tried to smile.

Rupert seemed to sense her hesitation, because his hand dropped suddenly to his side and his face closed off slightly. Jenny realized that he might think she was upset with him for putting her in a dangerous situation, and wanted to say something along the lines of _yeah, I’m scared, but it’s not because I’m in danger._ “I am sorry,” he said quietly.

“No, it’s—” Jenny uttered a nervous laugh. “I think I need to sit down,” she said finally, and headed over to the center of the library, perching on top of the table.

Rupert looked at her for a moment. And there was that look in his eyes again, which she was beginning to think was only ever directed at her. She lived in a town full of demons and vampires, and actual affection in a relationship was what was scaring her the most right now. Jenny wondered vaguely if she should break up with Rupert just to save him the trouble of what seemed to be her many, many emotional issues, felt a strange clenching sensation at the thought of his wide-eyed hurt if she did that, and buried her face in her hands.

Rupert didn’t notice, which she was grateful for. He was pretty focused on keeping an eye on whatever was going on outside—one of the rare occasions when Jenny could avoid his attention and worry. He worried a lot, and she hated that by being his girlfriend, she was adding another worry to the pile.

Wait.

Shit, did she just call herself his—

“ _Buffy, look out!_ ” she heard Rupert shout, which made her look up, which made her see him look back at her as though he was trying to remind himself she was still there. Jenny drew in a panicked breath and all but ran to the doors, peering through the window. Buffy was locked in a struggle with Sheila Martin and another vampire, who was brandishing an axe and a new set of fangs.

“It’s okay,” she said, not super sure of who she was saying it to. Her voice sounded high and not at all convincing. “It’s all right, Rupert. It’s fine.”

Rupert was holding her hand very tightly all of a sudden, and she found that she was holding on just as hard.

 _Girlfriend._ Okay. That was a pretty big step, given that they’d barely had a few weeks of a relationship. But she’d known him for nearly a year, so that probably counted for something in the long run. Rupert’s thumb absently stroked the back of her hand, and Jenny found that there was a lump in her throat.

The first vampire was dust, and Sheila was running away. It took Jenny a moment to realize that Buffy was shouting for them to open the door, and she stumbled a little as Rupert let go of her hand. She hadn’t realized how grounded she’d felt next to him.

They guided everyone out through the stacks. Jenny tried to do a head count, but she couldn’t figure out yet how many people were dead; it was too dark, and everyone was in too much of a hurry to leave. She was almost jealous of them. This wasn’t their life.

But then she looked at Rupert, hastily ushering people out, and thought that maybe hers wasn’t so bad. Which—was a pretty big, serious thing to think when faced with impending death on a daily basis. This was definitely not the normal standard for human life; if Rupert made it seem even _slightly_ okay, that said a lot about how she felt about him.

Jenny wasn’t going to label it. Not now. But if—hypothetically—she _was_ going to put a name on what she was feeling, she’d probably put it under “falling in love.” Explained a lot about why she was scared, too.

She suddenly realized that the last of the people were gone. She wanted to step into Rupert’s arms, but she didn’t know if they were close enough yet for that, so she settled for smiling tiredly at him. “You think it’s safe?” she asked quietly.

“Buffy will let us know,” Rupert replied simply. “I think we’ve gotten everyone out aside from—”

“The kids,” Jenny finished. Then, with vehemence, “Who are _fine._ ”

To her surprise, Rupert didn’t argue. “They’re fine,” he agreed, and sat down, slowly, on the floor. Jenny moved so that she was sitting next to him, and he turned to her without a word.

It felt more intimate than a kiss when he looked at her like that, and Jenny found that she couldn’t find herself worrying about what that _meant._ His eyes were green with small flecks of hazel, and they were soft and affectionate, looking at her like she was the calmest part of his world. She’d never had anyone who knew her as well as he did look at her with that much care before.

 _He doesn’t know_ all _of you,_ she thought pointedly. But then, a smile curling her lips, _He knows more than most._

She might have really kissed him then if she hadn’t heard Buffy’s voice.

* * *

 

“Well, another wonderful fun-filled evening,” Jenny quipped as they exited the school. The night air was a bit chilly with her short-sleeved shirt, but it still felt good to be outside, stars bright. Strange that she felt safer outside than inside tonight.

She’d expected Rupert to return her sarcasm with a dry joke of his own, but instead he said carefully, “Yes.” After a moment, “You know, um, I will understand if you decide to start avoiding me.”

Somehow, that was the most reassuring thing Jenny had heard all day (even if it was also the most ridiculous). She wasn’t the only insecure and confused one in this relationship, apparently, but she _was_ doing a good job of hiding it. Making a decision, she carefully tucked her hand into Rupert’s arm, and it felt like the most natural thing in the world to do.

It _should_ have scared her, but it didn’t, because there was a strange new warmth in her chest that made it hard to focus on her usual worries. Rupert was looking at her with a mixture of surprise and that wonderful softness, and it made her smile back at him. Just a bit.


End file.
